Charges filed against ex-Penn State University President Graham Spanier

Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier surrendered Wednesday morning for arraignment on felony charges connected to the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Spanier was released by District Judge William Wenner on $125,000 unsecured bond and did not comment as he left court. A preliminary hearing on his charges of perjury, endangering the welfare of children, conspiracy and failure to report is scheduled for Nov. 16.

Defense attorney Elizabeth Ainslie said Spanier is "not guilty, absolutely," and she disputed prosecutors' claims that he conspired with Tim Curley, the university's athletic director, and Gary Schultz, a former vice president, both of whom are awaiting trial.

"This wasn't a conspiracy of silence," Anslie said -- referring to the words used by Attorney General Linda Kelly last week. "It is absolutely ridiculous. Dr. Spanier was never given a chance to speak to this grand jury, to give his side of the story. We look forward to the chance to present his side of the story."

Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach, was convicted in June of sexually abusing young boys -- some of them on campus.

"They essentially turned a blind eye to the serial predatory acts committed by Jerry Sandusky," Kelly said last week.

Spanier and football coach Joe Paterno were forced out by Penn State's Board of Trustees after Sandusky's arrest last year. Paterno died in January and was never charged with any crimes.

When Kelly was asked if Paterno would have faced charges if he was still alive, she said, "I'm not going to speculate or comment on Mr. Paterno's relationship to this investigation."

"What he did, what he didn't do, Joe Paterno, you guys can decide. Most of this stuff is in the presentment," State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. "But that's not the point here. The point is, we have the president, the athletic director, I mean the actual top people and that's who we have charged."

The Freeh report, based on an investigation led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, suggested that Spanier knew about some of the Sandusky allegations and did not go to police. Spanier's lawyers have called the Freeh report a myth and said Spanier would have taken action if he knew a predator like Sandusky was on campus.

Main Players In The Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal

Main Players In The Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal

A child sex abuse scandal has rocked State College, Pa., and taken down Penn State University's president, athletic director, a senior vice president and a football coach with more than 400 victories in four decades on the job.

Jerry Sandusky, the football team's former defensive coordinator, was arrested after a state grand jury investigation

Sandusky was found guilty of several counts of child sexual abuse, including some incidents on the Penn State campus.

Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in state prison. It's effectively a life sentence for the 68-year-old former coach.

Attorney General Linda Kelly (left) says Sandusky sexually abused boys after meeting them through his work with The Second Mile, a charity for at-risk youth.

Kelly said assistant coach Mike McQueary, who was a graduate assistant at the time, reported walking in on Sandusky and a 10-year-old in the showers at the Lasch Football Building.

The Penn State football offices and training facilities are housed in the Lasch building on campus.

McQueary went to head coach Joe Paterno, who then reported it up the chain to his Penn State superiors, but not to police.

State police said Paterno was not a target of the ongoing investigation and not facing criminal charges.

But Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said he believes there was a moral obligation to do more, and Paterno should have notified police.

Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley was charged with perjury to the grand jury and failing to report the suspected sex abuse to law enforcement.

Curley surrendered for arraignment and was released on bail. He's awaiting trial.

Gary Schultz, senior vice president for business and finance, faces the same charges as Curley. Both stepped down from their jobs.

Schultz surrendered for arraignment and was released on bail. He's awaiting trial.

Fans flocked to Paterno's home and asked him to stay on the job. He was touched by the gesture, but said he would retire at the end of the football season.

That didn't satisfy the PSU Board of Trustees. Vice Chairman John Surma announced the immediate dismissals of Paterno and university President Graham Spanier.

Paterno's longtime assistant, Tom Bradley, was named the interim head coach through the end of the season.

Graham Spanier issued a statement after his firing, saying, "I am heartbroken to think that any child may have been hurt and have deep convictions about the need to protect children and youth. My heartfelt sympathies go out to all those who may have been victimized."

The board said it was "outraged" by the details in the grand jury's report, and "our hearts go out to all of those impacted by these terrible events, especially the tragedies involving children and their families."

Gov. Tom Corbett met with the Board of Trustees as they moved forward with an internal university investigation about the abuse allegations.

A statue of Penn State's mascot, the nittany lion.

Beaver Stadium, where Penn State plays its home football games.

Over the summer, an investigation commissioned by the university and led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh concluded that Joe Paterno and other top officials covered up allegations against Jerry Sandusky for years to avoid bad publicity.

Joe Paterno died of lung cancer in January. The NCAA erased 14 years of victories for Paterno, stripping him of his standing as major college football's winningest coach.

A statue of Joe Paterno that stood outside Beaver Stadium is removed hours before the NCAA imposes landmark sanctions on Penn State that include $60 million in fines, a four-year post-season ban on football, a crippling reduction in football scholarships and five years of probation.

Paterno family calls the Freeh report "incomplete, rife with unsupported opinions and unquestionably one-sided," and tries to appeal the NCAA sanctions. NCAA says the sanctions are not subject to appeal.

Former Penn State running back Franco Harris has vehemently defended Joe Paterno, even bringing a cardboard cutout of his former coach to a game at Beaver Stadium.

Months after Sandusky's trial ended, Spanier was charged with perjury, endangering the welfare of children, conspiracy and failure to report.

Spanier (pictured, left, with Curley and Paterno) was released after surrendering for arraignment. He is awaiting trial.

Copyright 2012 byWTAE.comThe Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that a proposed agreement between world powers and Iran was "a bad deal" that would not stop Tehran from getting nuclear weapons -- but would rather pave its way to getting lots of them and lea...